I procured the sweetest little gems of organic strawberries at the Diablo Valley Farmers Market yesterday from Rodriguez Berries out of Watsonville. Perfectly picturesque and they tasted like spring, like love, like candy, like the vision you have in your flavor place memory place in your head good. Yep that good. True season strawberries, not hoop grown with half flavor. Also in hard and strong are local asparagus, favas and green garlic. In my mind one of the holiest of food trinities around and short lived so take advantage while they are local and in our markets.
Long known as a symbol of love and fertility, astrologically
governed by Venus closely wound among their tendrils, strawberries are
supremely awaited come springtime in the West. Heart shaped, colored in varying
shades of pink to red proudly bearing every color of magenta in between,
strawberries are representative of love and rebirth, renewal and hope. In South
America around 1300 strawberries were used as currency representing life, among
other attributes. Romans have long valued strawberries for healing powers
reputed to range from gastric ailments to tightening loose teeth. Cherokee
mythology romanticizes strawberries as saving their race when the first man and
woman quarreled. As she ran away God placed a basket of strawberries in her
path tempting her to indulge and as she did her rage turned to love and she
returned to her man. Greek mythology firmly places strawberries roots in line
with the Goddess Aphrodite whose tears of despair shed by the death of her
Adonis fell in little red hearts, strawberries. In the Middle Ages,
strawberries were synonymous with temptation and seduction. Chocolate dipped
strawberries are one of the most popular selling item come Valentine’s Day
second only to the ruby red heart shaped box of chocolates.
Supremely sweet and intoxicatingly fragrant when picked and
eaten in season, its no secret that strawberries have long been used as a draw
for customers in early spring farmers markets, alluring shoppers as they stroll
past fruit laden tables unable to resist the pull of a luscious three pack.
Habit forming, when eaten out of the basket, strawberries also have amazing
pairing abilities for sweet as well as savory combinations…. Sliced into salads
of tender, sweet greens along with local chevre and toasted chopped almonds
needing only a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of fruity olive oil this
creates a salad rivaling any of the best restaurants offerings. …..
Strawberries macerated in a bit of good balsamic with a dripping of honey
spooned over good ice cream could make you swoon and eat a second helping no
matter what your brain says. Seduction……Ubiquitous short cake, biscuit style
screams for strawberries and sliced fresh figs with fresh orange juice squeezed
into the mix to be lavishly garnished with sweetened mascarpone and sprinkled
with love to tempt whoever needs tempting.….Grilled strawberries and peaches
tossed with lemon oil coated fresh baby arugula showered with toasted
prosciutto is a match even Venus could not have dreamed up. Love, temptation and seduction aside, in
season, fresh, local strawberries take the cake and all the frosting for being
the most anticipated of spring fruits…..except possibly cherries may be a
little competition….
After a long winter, as if by vegetal spirit
summons, around mid spring, asparagus makes an ethereal appearance amidst
winter vegetable leaden tables at farmers markets. Long or short, thin or fat,
as with other important items, size does not matter, personal preference only
dictates what lands in heavy shopper bags. Tight tips are a must going from
purple to green; firmness does matter, with asparagus having most flavor in the
points d'amour ("love tips") that were served as a delicacy to Madame de Pompadour.
Most of our asparagus heralds out of the central
valley of California. Holding great significance in the San Joaquin River
Delta, enough so to have Stockton honored with the location of the Asparagus
Festival annually, asparagus also figures heavily in Britain with the Vale of
Evesham in Worcestershire laying claim to title of largest producer in Eastern
Europe with an immense weeklong festival honoring the herbaceous spring
flowering perennial there too.
Ancient in origin, the medicinal diuretic asparagus
is seen pictured in a 3000 year old Egyptian frieze as well as boasting title
of mainstay at the Roman festival of Epicurus being used frozen from the
previous season. Effects of consuming asparagus relating to scents of urine
have long been noted with Marcel Proust stating in a letter to Benjamin
Franklin in 1781 that “asparagus transforms my chamber pot into a flask of
perfume.” In A Treatise of all Sorts of Food dated 1702, Louis Lemery says
“everybody knows asparagus causes a powerful and disagreeable smell in the
urine”. It has been researched well and most scientists believe that it occurs
to everyone’s urine but a few are missing an olfactory gene and can’t smell it.
Used as a companion plant to tomatoes, asparagus
repels harmful root nematodes that affect tomato plants while tomatoes repel
the dreaded asparagus beetle. Having opposing seasons of peak production is yet
another sweet convenience of nature.
Commencing asparagus season properly requires
celebration on all levels of dining…. For breakfast sauté sliced tips and stalks
in butter and green garlic and scramble with eggs and chevre consuming with
fresh baguette and champagne….. Lunch requires chilled poached asparagus served
with mustard vinaigrette and chopped chives while evening consumption demands….
asparagus is tossed with fruity olive oil, garlic and salt and placed on a hot
grill to blister tender skins and be drizzled with balsamic. ….Sauté prawns
with sliced cremini, sliced asparagus and garlic splashing with vin blanc and
enriching with cream to reduce and lap up….. Dipping steamed tips into a soft
poached egg sprinkled with cracked sea salt and feathery puffs of grated
Manchego serves intimate midnight soirees unforgettably well.
Ancient
and exotic, coveted tender, baby pods and big, fat, luscious adults, fava beans
are an amazing culinary treat with a short season. Often planted as soil
amendment adding nitrogen in infancy and carbon at the end cycle, fava’s are
also an incredibly sexy treat to slowly devour. Clip ends off whole baby beans,
pod and all, lube up with olive oil and season with salt placing on hot grills.
The heat crisps up outer shells while steaming inside pods. In the farmers
markets for a few more weeks, their season coincides with green garlic and
asparagus creating the spring trilogy so popular among foodies everywhere once
exposed. Rack up brownie points for time and energy displayed retrieving those
two sumptuous green buds under lush padding. Pop beans from pods blanching a
few minutes then ice bath quickly. Slip beans out of yet another shield pondering
opportunities. Sautéed simply in olive oil and green garlic is a favorite first
of the season prep. Mashed with olive oil, green garlic, lemon and salt and spread
on toast, celery or your body, can be breathtaking. Toss tiny halves into salads combining
greens, tangy apricots, chevre and olive oil. Eating seasonally has benefits.
Spring Asparagus Soup w/ Parmesan Toast
2 pounds fresh asparagus, chopped
2 green garlic, cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups stock
½ cup cream
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
8 to 12 baguette slices
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Sauté green garlic in olive oil until slightly
caramelized and transparent. Add asparagus and sauté 3 minutes until bright
green. Add stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until
asparagus is tender. Add cream, vinegar and nutmeg. Bring back to a boil and
turn off heat. Puree with a hand held immersion blender or a regular blender
and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and
sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a *350 oven for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is
bubbly and crouton is crispy. Use to garnish soup. Serves 4
Grilled Asparagus w/ Balsamic Vinegar
2 pounds asparagus ends trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Toss asparagus in a bowl with olive oil and salt to
coat.
Grill on low heat on a gas grill or on the low
temperature end of a charcoal grill.
Grill until the outside skin begins to blister and
turn bright green.
Remove from heat and place on a platter. Sprinkle
with balsamic and a little more salt to taste. Serves4
Risotto with Green Garlic and Asparagus
1 large red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups Aborio or Carnaroli rice or you can
substitute barley for more fiber and protein
about 6 cups stock, heated
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus, sliced in ¼ in pieces
4 stalks of green garlic, cleaned and sliced
6 ounces of grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly grated pepper
Heat olive oil in a deep, heavy sauce pan. Add
onions and sauté for about 4 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add the
rice and sauté for 3 to 4 more minute until the rice becomes opaque and starts
to brown. Add a cup of stock and let it come to a boil. Stir well and reduce
heat slightly to a simmer. When stock is almost absorbed add another cup and
let absorb. Add another cup and keep repeating until risotto is creamy and
almost soft. Turn off heat and in another sauté pan heat the olive oil and
sauté green garlic and asparagus until both are bright green. Stir into rice
and season with parsley, salt and pepper. Serve with grated cheese. Serves 4.
